Reconsolidation and psychopathology: Moving towards reconsolidation-based treatments

• The reconsolidation literature in humans is reviewed.
• Major limitations to the clinical application are discussed.
• Recommendations for improved reconsolidation-based treatments are offered.

Interfering with memory reconsolidation has valuable potential to be used as a treatment for maladaptive memories and psychiatric disorders. Numerous studies suggest that reconsolidation-based therapies may benefit psychiatric populations, but much remains unanswered. After reviewing the literature in clinical and healthy human populations, we discuss some of the major limitations to reconsolidation studies and clinical application. Finally, we provide recommendations for developing improved reconsolidation-based treatments, namely exploiting known boundary conditions and focusing on a novel unconditioned stimulus-retrieval paradigm.